Student rejects notion of difficulty in completing SU’s honors program

It is true that underclassmen are drawn to the Renee Crown Honors Program for its perks: early registration, honors courses, the computer cluster, student lounge and unique events. And I know a many RCHP students enjoy these perks, but eventually shirk the looming capstone project.

This trend, however, cannot be boiled down to a mountainous requirement without sufficient advising resources. I have experienced only the best advising, and my capstone has taken me all the way to the Free University of Berlin, where I sit writing this response.

While exclusivity is an inherent principle of any honors program, the RCHP does not, in my experience, suffer from a lack of it. Honors classes are small and often under maximum capacity (with the exception of popular intro courses). In rough numbers, the program’s 900 students represent less than 7 percent of SU’s more than 14,000 full-time undergraduates.

In any case, the depth requirement must be considered as a component of a holistic program of academic excellence. Although often seen as more applicable to prospective researchers, this project serves as a unique opportunity for any specialization.

An anonymous friend once told me she was dropping out of the RCHP because the depth requirement was not suited to her post-graduation goals. The RCHP should respond to this mindset.

It is quite easily possible to complete a capstone that makes you highly attractive to employers. I’ve met many engineering, neuroscience, policy studies, illustration and other majors across all disciplines with amazing projects that will undoubtedly make them very desirable hires.

Rather than reorient the RCHP toward a small subset, we should celebrate the program’s flexibility by encouraging practically minded students to complete skills-driven projects.

Requiring students to think about their topic and/or find faculty advisors earlier may alleviate the perception of unfeasibility. But the existing process’ junior-year kickoff already gives a minimum of three semesters and one summer to complete the project.

This is not to mention the (voluntary) capstone introduction sessions and even a dedicated course HNR 309: “Capstone Planning Seminar.” Students need to use these resources and advisers must advertise them as part of a proactive mindset.

This is to say that I reject both the notion that the RCHP is not elite enough and the perception that the capstone project is too difficult. Many of the RCHP’s resources are underutilized, and at this point, another overhaul misses the opportunity for more measured improvements.

Nicholas Iaquinto
International Relations and German Language, Literature, and Culture Major
Class of 2013